Face guard for football players



March 22, 1960 w. R. NOVAK 2,929,070

FACE GUARD FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS Filed Sept. 9. 1957 William R. NovakINVENTOR.

BY WM 3M United States Patent O FACE GUARD FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS WilliamR. Novalt, Utica, Ill.

Application September 9, 1957, Serial No. 682,871

3 Claims. (Cl. 29)

The present invention relates to an improved face guard for a footballplayer and has to do, more particularly stated, with an open-typemask-like guard which is applicable to and carried by aconventional-type helmet.

Persons conversant with the state of the art to which the presentinvention relates are well aware that many and varied styles and formsof face guards have been evolved and offered with a view towardaffording reliable protection to the user thereof. On the basis of trialand error experiment certain prior art face guards have been adopted andare meeting with widespread usage. Others which have, apparently, failedto measure up to expectations and needs appear to have been discarded.With a view toward advancing the art, the instant concept ties in with adesire to promote progress in this line of endeavor and, in so doing, toprovide a specially constructed adaptation which complies with practicalmanufacturing require ments and economies and, what is most important,is calculated to afford the wearer maximum protection.

In carrying out the ideas and intentions under advisement, the presentinvention features a construction Wherein a novel structural unit orentity embodies novelly located components which are well braced andstabilized by reason of the fact that the complete unit has four-pointconnection with the left and right cheek portions of a conventionalhelmet, making the guard a substantially firm and permanently attachedpart of the helmet.

By appropriating and using four widely separated and properlydistributed suspension points and spacing the components from thewearers facial features the combination helmet and guard becomes anover-all safe and reliable protector for the wearer.

Briefly, the invention and the combination evaluation is characterizedby a conventional-type helmet having cheek portions at its respectivevertical sides, and a chin-strap having end portions fastened to saidcheek portions; and a complemental mask-like face guard of openwork formembodying left and right upper jaw guard members, left and right lowerjaw guard members, a nose guard, a chin guard, and a mouth guard, saidguard as an entity being fabricated into a substantial unit and havingfour-point connection with spaced cooperating areas of said checkportions.

Considered as an attachment to and for use in conjunction with afootball helmet and somewhat more specifically construed the inventioncomprises an entity which may be interpreted as comprising an upperrubber covered bow having a median bend formed into an inverted U shapedportion constituting an upstanding nose guard, a companion lower bowhaving a similar median bend providing a second U-shaped portion andconstituting a chin guard, portions of said bows to the left and right,respectively, of the U-shaped portions being welded together, saidU-shaped portions being disposed in a plane generally common to eachother, the terminal ends of said bows being formed with attaching eyes,and a short bow centrally bridging the space between said U-shapedportions and sewing as a mouth guard, the limb portions of said iceupper and lower bows providing upper and lower jaw guards.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved face guard and the helmet towhich it is attached, showing the mode of construction and use of thesame;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, that is a view observing Fig. 1in a direction from right to left;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the face guard by itself; and,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken verticallythrough the central portion of the guard.

Referring now to the drawings and to Figs. 1 and 2, the conventionalhelmet is denoted by the numeral 6, the aforementioned vertical side orcheek portions being denoted at 8.

The guard is fashioned into a structural entity or unit wherein all ofthe components are joined together in predetermined relationship. As aunit the guard is denoted by the numeral 10. The'aforementioned upperbow is of suitable longitudinally curvate or arcuate form and the medianportion 12 thereof is bent into inverted generally U-shaped form. Thebight portion 14 thereof is of such curvature that when it is located itprovides a highly eflicient nose guard. The end portions of the noseguard terminate in the approximate plane illustrated in the drawings andthe rearwardly and upwardly curving limb portions 16 and 18 designateupper jaw guards or members. These members terminate in suitable eyes 20which are superimposed upon the upper cheek portion and are riveted orotherwise securely fastened thereto as at 22 in Figs. 1 and 2.

The complemental lower bow likewise has a substantially U-shaped bend orportion 24 and the bight portion 26 is such that a highly satisfactorychin guard is provided. -In connection with this how the limbs or arms28 and 30 are properly curved and placed to provide lower jaw guardmembers. Here again, terminal eyes 32 are superimposed upon andsecuredly riveted or fastened at 34 to the lobe 36 of the cheek portion8. The respective end portions of the U-shaped bends or guards 12 and 24merge together and are welded securely and in so doing diametricallyopposite crotches are provided to accommodate the end portions of thesmaller or third bow 38 which is centralized between the guards 24 andprovides a guard for the wearers teeth and mouth, referred to broadly asa mouth guard.

In actual practice the bows are formed from segmental or equivalentrods, one of which is denoted at 40 in Fig. 3 and all of the rods arecovered or coated with a suitable plastic or rubber.

It is within the purview of the invention to mold the entire unit fromappropriate commercial plastics or nylon or requisite rigidity.

The design of the over-all construction is such that the guard offersmaximum protection, greatest stability and rigidity, and a minimum ofimpairment of vision compared to any guard now on the market.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will bereadily understood and further explanation is believed to beunnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction shown and described, andaccordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A face guard for rigid attachment to a conventional-type footballhelmet comprising an upper rod longitudinally formed. into a. bowl andhaving avcentralized median U-shaped bend constituting an upstanding.nose guard,v adower. rodformed into. a bow having a similar median.Uv-shaped bend providing achin guard, portions of said bows to the leftand right,. respectively of the U-shaped bends beingwelded together,said U-shaped bends being disposed and'cooperating ina plane generallycommon to each other, the terminal ends of said bows beingformed withattaching eyes, and a third but relatively short bow centrally bridgingthe space between said guard defining, and providing jaw protectingmembers andterminating at their respective outer ends in attaching andretaining eyes, a second rod a companion to said first named rod andconstituting a lower rod and being longitudinally bowed'and'having amedian U-shaped bend similar to the first named bend andhaving its openside registering with the open side ofthe first named U-shaped bend andthe two bends together providing an impact receiving member, saidU-bends being welded'together and being disposed generally in a planewhich is common to each other, the lower U-shaped' bend constituting achin guard and the portions of the rod between the ends thereof beingformed intojaw protectingmembers and terminating in attaching andretaining eyes, the jaw protecting members to the left of the centerbeing disposed in rearwardly convergent relationship and thecorresponding members to the right being likewise disposed in rearwardlydivergent relationship so that when the respective eyes are attached topredetermined portions of the supporting helmet a four-point suspensionfor the over-all guard is had, the respective connected end portions ofthe U-shaped bends definingrdiametrically opposite crotch-like seats,and a thirdrelatively short rod bridging the space midway between thebight portions of the nose guard and chin guard, respectively, andhaving its ends aflixed to said guards in line with the crotchlikeseats.

3. A face guard expressly constructed and designed to be rigidly mountedon the usual cheek portions embodied in the vertical sides of a footballhelmet comprising an upper longitudinally bowed rod, the median portionof said rod being of inverted U-shape form and defining a nose guard,the portions to the-left'a nd'right of said nose guard defining and.providing, jaw protectingmembers and terminating at their respectiveouter ends in attaching and retaining eyes, a second rod. a companion tosaid first named rod and constituting a lower rod and beinglongitudinally bowed and having a median U-shaped bend similar to thefirst named bend and having its open side registering. with the openside'of. the first named U-shapedfbend and the twobends togetherproviding an impact receiving member, said U-bends being welded togetherand being disposed generally in a plane which is common to each other,the lower U-shapedbend constituting a-chin guard and the portions of therod between the ends thereof being formed into jaw protecting membersand terminating in attaching and retaining eyes, the jawprotectingmembers-to the left of the center being, disposed inrearwardly convergent relationship and the' corresponding members to theright being likewise disposed inrearwardly divergent relationship sothat when the respective eyes are attached to predetermined portions ofthe supportinghelmet a four-point suspension for the over-all'guardishad, the respective connected endfp'ortions of the U-fshapedbendsdefining diametricallyjo r posite crotch-like seats.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS379,655 OSullivan Mar. 20, 1888'" 2,105,607 McMillan Jan. 18, 1938'2,351,752 Fay June 20, 1944 2,785,405 Snyder Mar. 19, 1957 2,790,175Sowle Apr. 30, 1957". 2,881,442 Sowle Apr. 14, 1959'

